What Max Saw
by MissFANG-TeamGALE
Summary: While the flock is hunkered down in a cave to rest, Max sees something totally unexpected.
1. What Max Saw

**For your reading pleasures. :)**

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**Max POV:**

Tonight was one of those rare nights, where the moon was full, the air was warm…and I was in a good mood.

It had been days since our last Eraser attack. We were holed up in a cave somewhere in Arizona, recuperating from the last encounter with the ugly wolf freaks. Everyone was getting along—well, okay, there weren't any death threats today.  
Right now, we were all seated around the fire enjoying the last few roasted desert rats-on-a-stick. I watch silently, as Nudge and Angel giggle silently across the fire from me. The dancing flames cast shadows over their young, worn out faces. I feel the familiar pang of guilt that usually comes with looking at any of my flock. I want more than anything in this world for them to have a normal life, even if it meant I couldn't have one. Right now, they should be in a house, with their own bedrooms, enrolled in nice schools, and having lots of sleepovers. Not sleeping in a dirty cave, eating rodents cooked over a barely-there fire, on the run from mutant mistakes who wants them dead, and crazy, evil scientists who want to torture them.

I sigh longingly, flicking a piece of rock off of my pants.

"Max, that isn't your fault." I hear Angel say.

I shrug impassively. It may not be my fault, but I'm sure there was something I could be doing that would change things.

_There is, Max. It's saving the world. Once you do that, you and the flock will be able to have the lives you've always wanted._

Oh, wonderful, the Voice is back. There goes my somewhat good mood.

I look over to where Gazzy had already fallen asleep, after our meal of roasted rodent, and smile. I could tell Iggy wasn't too far behind him, seeing as he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

I snuck a glance over at Fang, whose face was turned slightly away from me, gazing outside the cave. The moon lit up the only side of his face that I could see, casting shadows over his sharp features. It's too dark to see them, but I know bruises from our last Eraser battle, a light purple from healing, cover his tanned and dirty face. I can't help but wonder what he's thinking. Does he wish to provide a normal life for the flock, like me?

I quickly scold myself for even having to wonder that. Of course he does. Fang cares for them as much as I do.

"Angel and Nudge, it's time for bed." I say with a sigh. I'm grateful that they go quietly. There's no way I'm in the mood to battle those two tonight.

"Fang, you go ahead and sleep. I'll stay up for a while, and watch over things."

He doesn't say a word as he gets up and puts out the fire. I watch him as he settles down a little ways away from Iggy and Gazzy, rubbing his wings on the rock wall, before finally closing his eyes.

Turning away from them, I walk to the mouth of the cave, and sit down while letting my feet dangle over the edge. I unfold my wings for the first time in hours, shivering in delight.

_Voice?_

_Yes, Max?_

I was shocked. The Voice never answers me back, unless there's some scheme behind it.

_Will we ever stop running? Will things ever come easily for us? What's really my purpose? It can't be to save the world. That's too much of a job for me, a kid._

_Maximum, you're going to save the world. You aren't alone, either._

But I am alone. Sure I have the flock, but they're _all_ I have.

_How can you expect me to be able to do that, Voice? I can't even keep my own family safe._

I'm pretty sure I just heard it mentally sigh.

_It's what you were made for, Max. It is the sole reason you were created. There is a purpose for everything that happens to you and your family. It is all part of your training; your test. If it was going to be easy, you would have never been created._

_It just doesn't seem worth it to me. What have the people of the world done for me? Nothing. Why should I save them? The majority of them would want me dead anyway. I'm a freak, remember? Maybe they all deserve to be destroyed. It's what they've done to the Earth so far. They don't give a rat's tail, so why should I?_

It goes into this big lecture about something, but I hardly hear any of it. I see no point. Save the world. What a load of bull. How could it expect me, Maximum Ride: mutant freak, to save the world?

_Be that as it may, Max, it doesn't change anything._

_Yeah, well I just don't think risking my family's lives is worth it. Nothing is worth putting my family in danger. Do you hear me? Nothing._

The sky is beginning to turn pink, as the sun begins to rise. Had time really gone by that fast?

I walked back into the cave, to wake Fang for his watch. He was going to be mad that I hadn't woken him earlier, but he'd get over it.

I was just leaning down to shake him, when the most surprising thing happened.

His hands began to twitch, like they usually do, but then ever so slowly a smile appeared.

Fang was…smiling…in his sleep. I found myself surprised at the warm, happy feeling that gave me. God, I wished more than anything, that I could read his mind. What could he possibly be dreaming about that could make him smile? Maybe if I knew, I could do something to make him do it more often.

Fang's smiles were rare. But when you saw one, well, it's like the whole world tilts on its axis. A world with a smiling Fang makes me think there's hope for a world without everything bad.

I suddenly hear a scraping noise on the rock floor of the cave. Someone's getting up. I quickly move away from Fang, not wanting to look like a creeper, standing over him and watching him sleep. I turn to find Angel watching me, a secret smile on her lips.

"He's dreaming about you." She whispers. I stare back in shock, barely registering in my mind, what she has said. "His dream interrupted mine. That's how I woke up."

I shake my head, still shocked.

Why would Fang dream about me?

"Because he loves you, silly." Angel says, her tone implying that I should have already known that.

"All right Angel, go back to sleep." I hiss. I'm annoyed now. The googly-eyed look she's giving me is making my stomach churn uneasily.

I hear her giggle quietly, before she lies back down.

I don't believe her; not at all. What could a six year old know about love? Sure, she knows that she loves the flock, but what else could she possibly know?

Of course Fang loves me. He loves the whole flock, as do I.

I walk back out to the ledge, deciding that there was no way I was going to disturb him. He never smiled, and even though he wasn't awake or aware that he was doing it, I was not going to ruin it.

Seeing him smile, in such rotten times, was a something totally mind-blowing. I real mood changer.

Who would have thought that a simple smile, from the boy who never spoke, could completely warm my heart?

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** Reviews would be nice and are greatly appreciated. :)**  
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	2. Fang's Dream

**So thanks to ****The Flock's Bud**, **this chapter was possible, because I had no idea what I wanted to write next.**

***There will only be one more chapter after this one.* And Fang's dream is in **_italics-_**in case you weren't aware :)**

**(Out of all of my stories, this is the first time I've ever written in Fang's POV, I hope I do him some justice.)**

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**Fang POV:**

I hate times like these, when we've had no sign of those stupid Erasers. I was always on edge, ready to fight. There was never any peace of mind for me. Unlike Max, I wanted the Erasers to be here. At least I would know what they were doing. At least I would know that they weren't off somewhere mutating themselves even more, getting that much closer to being able to take us down. I hate the blind feeling that not knowing gives me.

I sneak a guilty glance at Iggy. Well okay, maybe not blind.

I sigh looking outside. The moon is full, and it's casting an eerie looking shadow into the cramped cave the flock and I were calling home for the night. It was beautiful.

I liked the moon. It was one of those things you could always depend on. No matter what happened to you that day, whatever disappointment you suffered from, the moon was still going to be there at night. It was one of the few given things in this world.

I look over at Max, noticing how she has her head down with her eyes closed in deep concentration. She was thinking again; always a dangerous thing with Max. Feeling me watching her, she looks up from her lap, and catches my eye. I quickly look away, but not before I notice the pained look in her eyes. We were still mad at each other from last night. These days we were fighting more and more, the longer we were on the run. Now days, we couldn't go a couple hours without being at each other's throats. She hated it, and so did I. But there wasn't a way around it. We're both tense, and stressed, and as much as either of us would hate to admit, we're scared too. We have no clue as to what is out there waiting for us, we don't know who could be looking for us, we don't know if we were going to wake up tomorrow with expiration dates on the backs of our necks. We know nothing. And we hate it. We hate everything about our stinking, rotten lives.

I know Max feels like a failure because she can't provide the little kids with what they want and deserve. She and I both know it's not a problem with them and that they're all somewhat happy just to be with us, but we know what they could have and it kills us knowing that we can't give it to them. She shouldn't have to worry about that. Neither of us should. We're only fourteen. We should be going to school, hanging out at some mall with friends, and getting into 'teenage' trouble.

We shouldn't be running for our lives, while taking care of four young kids. It's crazy and bizzare.

But it's our lives.

I clench my fists, fighting the familiar waves of anger that wash over me when I think of what could be. An unbearable sense of longing fills me. What I would give for the six of us to have normal lives; if not Max and me, then at least the others.

"That's not your fault, Max" I hear Angel say suddenly.

I look at her and then at Max. Angel must have 'accidently' read Max's mind again.

Max just shrugs and looks down at the ground. Her dirty face is ragged and worried, and right now, she looks a lot older than fourteen.

"Fang? You go ahead and sleep. I'll take first watch."

Too tired to argue, I nod and lay down, rubbing my wings on the cave wall, something that comforts me when I'm in a weird mood. I watch as Max walks to the mouth of the cave and sits down, unfolding her wings. She carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. She's the incredible, invincible Maximum Ride: protector of mutants, rescuer of mankind. And most kids thought _they_ were pressured. They didn't know pressure. I wish that I could just take that weight off of her, if not fully, then at least partially. But...

With a sigh, I roll over, shaking my head to clear away all thoughts in my head. These months of being on the run have taught me not to waste time dwelling in my thoughts; I could do that when it was time for my watch.

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_I woke up, gasping for breath. I was sweating bullets, and it felt as if the cave had suddenly gone up a hundred degrees. It was dark, and the only thing I could see was the moon and a lone silhouette standing against it._

_I got up quietly, turning to check that the kids were still asleep, and joined Max at the mouth of the cave. Her hair was blowing in back of her, as a gentle breeze blew through the lonely desert._

_I coughed, letting her know I was there. She turned and regarded me with solemn eyes._

_"I knew you were there, Fang. I always do…" she said quietly, her face tilted slightly towards the moon. I cleared my throat and shuffled my feet. Why did I feel nervous? _

_"What are you doing?"_

_ "Good question." I heard her mumble, her voice almost sad._

_"It's pretty isn't it?" She turned to me. Her eyes shone with the reflection of the moon. "Beautiful," I said quietly, my eyes never leaving hers._

_"Let's go fly." She says suddenly. Her eyes now excited. They plead with me, and I feel myself nodding, my wings already unfolded. "Yeah, okay."_

_She backed up, and ran towards the edge. She hurled herself into the air, and snapped her wings out. I did the same, and soon we were a thousand feet up. We flew silently, flying in wide arcs, dipping and soaring. We were a pair of flying, mutant ballet dancers._

_Max suddenly stopped flying. She beat her wings up and down, keeping her in place. She was out of breath, but she was smiling; a sight I hadn't seen in a while._

_"I love this, Fang. I love flying. I love having wings." I could feel what else she wanted to say, but I didn't say anything to her. I didn't have to. I knew what she was thinking. I could hear the 'but' now, in my mind. But what? But she hated the Erasers? She hated having to run for our lives? We all did. She flew a couple feet, and stopped again._

_We were outlined by the moon. It was sort of like something you only see in movies. Max was only a dark shadow, outlined by the iridescent beauty of the moon. I hated not seeing her face; her eyes. They were the only things that gave me the slightest idea of what she was thinking. I flew closer to her._

_"I want to try something." I hear myself saying, suddenly. I reach out, pulling her closer to me. I wrapped my arms around her body, holding her wings gently against her back. "On the count of three, close your eyes. I want to try something."_

She regards me as if I had gone crazy, and I find myself wondering if I actually had. "Do you trust me?" I say, hearing the plea in my voice. She blinks once and then nods. She was uncharacteristically quiet and unargumentive.

_"One…" I could feel her already fast heart beat quicken._

_"Two…" __She stiffens, waiting.  
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_"Three!" She closed her eyes as I closed mine, and I pull my wings in. We dropped quickly, and she screamed. I pop my eyes open, taking a peek at her face. Her eyes were wide, wild and crazy and excited, all in one. The wind roared in our ears. Our stomachs have dropped to our feet and we're laughing and shouting the whole way down, not caring if we woke the rest of the flock. This was bliss; it was pure ecstasy._

_"Fang! We're gonna crash! Let me go!" She shouted. She was panicking. We were about a hundred feet from the ground._

_I released her, and we both dropped faster. Snapping our wings out, we rise up together._

_She was laughing, and I felt like a million bucks._

I did that; I made her smile_, I thought. We were so close I could see she was flushed. I tentatively reach my hand out, placing it on her cheek. It was warm with excitement. Her breathing hasquickened. Mine is coming out in short, nearly breathless, pants. What was going on?_

_We look into each others eyes, taking in the fear and excitement._

_She answered my unspoken questions, by leaning up, and gently pressing her soft, warm lips against my cheek. Not what I was expecting, but nice none the less. She rested her warm cheek against mine, and sighed. Her lips brushed against my ear, as she whispered "I love this Fang." I smiled _

_ "And I love you." I whisper it so quietly, I wonder if she even heard_

_I find myself smiling, even more like a fool. This was great. It was wonderful. I loved it, and I never wanted it to stop._

_There was no 'but' this time. Only thoughts of love. How much I loved Max; how much I loved being a mutant freak, how much I loved flying and being able to do this. Love, love, love.  
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_It made everything worth it._

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**_All right. There ya go. Fang's dream for you right there. Can you see why he would smile? _**

**_The song I listened to while writing Fang's dream was Giving It Away(acoustic) by Mae. Just for your information. It's a great song. :)_**

She's in my arms in a matter of seconds. I beat my wings harder and faster to keep us up. I didn't know what to do. I knew what I wanted to do, but would she want me to do it too?


End file.
